


A Heart so True

by dat_heichou



Series: Like No One Ever Was [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Multi, a lot of fluff and cuteness and pokemon, meeting as kids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-02-07 12:44:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1899498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dat_heichou/pseuds/dat_heichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where powerful creatures thrive and wonder waits around every corner, every child dreams of adventure.  Marco Bodt is no exception.<br/>On his eleventh birthday, he is finally given his first Pokémon and starts his own adventure.  He makes friends along the way and realizes that learning about the world and experiencing it are two very different things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The kids are going to be 10/11 years old, so nothing will happen to raise the rating on this. The most that will happen may be kissing. Mostly fluff and kids having fun. And saving people and Pokémon from Team Rocket.
> 
> I have a tumblr (dat-heichou.tumblr.com), in case you want to talk to me or be witness to my Attack on Titan spam.

Marco had always been curious about what the rest of the world was like.  It seemed like a given, when so many wondrous creatures lived in the world around him and possibility brimmed within every patch of tall grass.  But he figured that it was alright if he stayed in his hometown for a few extra years.  His mother needed help raising Marie after all, especially now that Mrs. Bodt was promoted to head teacher at Jinae Pokémon Academy.

 So his dreams of putting his Pokémon knowledge to use were largely forgotten until the week before his eleventh birthday.

 The Bodts were seated at the dinner table when the topic was mentioned.  Mrs. Bodt was lost in thought, too distracted to even notice that Marie was pushing her peas off of her plate.  Marco frowned and tried to coerce the six-year old into eating her greens.  It wasn’t like his mother to be so preoccupied.

 “Is everything okay, Mom?”

“Oh,” her eyes widened when she realized that she had been caught in her thoughts.  The freckled woman cleared her throat before explaining, “I just got off the phone with Professor Jaeger.  He’s coming to do a lecture at the academy next week.”  She returned her attention to her plate, sneaking a peek at her son's reaction.

 Marco’s face lit up as a smile bloomed on his lips.  “That’s awesome!” he exclaimed, “Can I listen to his lecture, Mom?”  The idea of listening to a Pokémon expert share his knowledge was like candy to him.  Even if he couldn't go out and travel yet, he could still learn about the world around him and the amazing creatures in it.

 “Well,” his mother began, mirroring his enthusiastic smile, “It would be convenient if you went because he’s meeting you after the lecture with a few starter Pokémon to pick from.”

The only sound in the dining room was the scraping of Marie’s fork on her plate as she continued relocating peas to the tabletop.  Marco froze with his chocolate brown eyes locked on his mother’s face, not able to comprehend what he had heard.  “I’m getting a Pokémon?” 

“Yes, honey,” Mrs. Bodt returned to her meal, calmer now that the news had been delivered.  “You’ve been a big help the past year, but I know you want to go out and explore, like the other kids do.  And goodness knows that you have more Pokémon knowledge than most of those kids out there.  I taught you well, after all,” she winked.

Marco jumped up from the table to squeeze his mother in a grateful hug.  His excited murmurs of gratitude made his mother laugh, glad that she made the right decision in letting her son go and explore.  She gently pulled away to get a good look at her son’s face as she told him to be careful and to call home regularly.

Marco’s smile never left his face that night.  He couldn’t wait for his birthday.

 

* * *

 

Even as professors go, Professor Jaeger was considered eccentric.  Unlike the Pokémon professors of other regions, he didn’t limit his pupils to a single trio of starter Pokémon.  He claimed this was because their region didn’t seem to have any unique Pokémon not found in other regions.  But most people agreed that it just allowed him to keep traveling as much as possible, so that he could keep them in stock.  It seemed like he hated nothing more than staying in the same place for too long.  Regardless of the reason, Professor Jaeger was unpredictable in which starters he had.

 Marco couldn’t help but wonder which Pokémon he would be able to pick from.  The possibilities floated before him and made him even more excited, even to the point that he could barely focus on the lecture.  He didn’t know how he could possibly pick one, especially because he didn’t know what his options were.

What Marco never expected was that he wouldn’t get a choice.  Once the lecture ended, Mrs. Bodt led the awestruck Marco to meet Professor Jaeger.  Marco stuttered out a timid hello while the Pokémon expert rifled through his briefcase, flicking his long hair out of his face as he did so.

“You must be Marco Bodt,” the man stated, briefly looking up from his belongings.  As he looked back down, he pulled two objects from his case. 

 “You’ll need this,” he deadpanned, handing Marco a shiny red Pokédex.  “And as for your Pokémon…”

 “Yes,” Marco smiled, his excitement practically brimming over and puddling on the lecture hall floor.

At hearing the happiness in Marco’s voice, the professor looked up, a somewhat uneasy expression on his face.  The man adjusted his glasses nervously, “I was going to let you choose, but two kids talked to me earlier this week, so I only have this one.”  He held his hand out to Marco, a single Pokéball in his palm.  The boy’s fingers trembled slightly as he took the ball from the hand outstretched before him.  He clumsily hit the button and released his Pokemon for the first time.

A bulbasaur looked up at him warily.  It was a little small for its type and looked a little uneasily up at the tall trainer.  Without missing a beat, Marco knelt down and held out his hand to the small animal.  His gentle smile and reduced height seemed to reassure the Pokémon of his presence.  One of hits vines slowly snaked forward and poked at the boy’s palm.

“Looks like this will work out fine,” the professor said, closing his briefcase and straightening his back.

“Yeah,” Mrs. Bodt beamed as she watched her son slowly bond with the Pokémon in front of him.

 “I need to be on my way,” Professor Jaeger adjusted his lab coat, “Good luck to the boy and make sure you visit my lab in Shiganshina.”

 Marco briefly looked up as the harried man left, far more engrossed in bonding with Bulbasaur.  His dreams of exploring were going to come true.  And with that thought, nothing could shake the smile from his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marco gets a very surprising first impression.

A few days later, all the essentials were packed and Marco was ready to go. It was hard to walk away from everything he ever knew, but the desire to see what else was waiting for him filled his chest and burned until he was finally setting foot in the forest outside of his home.

“Well, here we go, Sunny,” Marco spoke to the Pokéball in his hand. The few days at home he spent with the bulbasaur allowed him to build a foundation of trust in their relationship. It also gave him an insight into the Pokémon’s character and an opportunity to name her. Once relaxed, the bulbasaur seemed just as happy and friendly as her owner. Between the Pokémon’s disposition and bud on its back, Marco decided that the name Sunny suited her.

The butterflies in his stomach urged him to keep moving and embrace his new freedom. With one final wave back at his mother and sister, Marco continued walking and let the forest engulf him.

* * *

 

His first day in the forest was rather uneventful. Most of the wild Pokémon seemed wary of him and stayed away. The few of them that weren’t intimidated by Marco’s presence seemed too strong for him to take on with just the bulbasaur. This unease spurred him into running forward until he found himself ahead of schedule. Now, dusk was approaching and Marco decided that it was time to set up camp.

He set to work finding stones and sticks to make a fire pit as the red sunlight filtered through the trees. A stone circle was arranged in the dirt when Marco released Sunny from her Pokéball a half hour later.

“Its getting darker quicker than I expected,” Marco told his Pokémon, “and I don’t have time to hunt for berries and get the fire going before nightfall. Would you mind finding some berries to go with dinner?” The bulbasaur grunted an affirmative and waddled off on her short legs.

Darkness was creeping nearer as Marco got the fire going. Sunny still wasn’t back yet and worry started infiltrating her trainer’s mind. If something bad happened, Marco couldn’t protect her by recalling the Pokémon to her Pokéball. The boy’s face blanched as he wondered if he could even find the bulbasaur back, especially in the dark woods.

The fire before him crackled as Marco wondered what actions he should take. Maybe he wasn’t prepared enough to be out here. Even though other kids went on journeys when they were 10, maybe Marco should have waited a few extra years. Panic was beginning to set in when Marco heard sounds of movement in the bushes around him.

“Sunny?!” he called, too concerned about the bulbasaur’s well being to think about what other creatures could be stirring in the bushes. The rustling grew louder and Marco could hear the bulbasaur cry out from the obscured plant growth. Without hesitation, Marco crashed into the undergrowth, following the noise to where his Pokémon was. Branches smacked his face and chest, but he was too concerned about Sunny’s well being to care.

When he arrived at the scene, Marco wasn’t quite sure what to think. Sunny had fulfilled her objective and cradled several freshly picked berries in her vines. These vines were hoisted high enough that the cargo was out of reach of the body wrapped possessively around her. Arms and legs were intertwined around each other and the bulbausaur grunted angrily at the distraction from its task.

“What are you doing to Sunny?” Marco asked, unsure of just how mad he should be. It was in his nature to be forgiving, but… this was an unprecedented situation.

“Sunny?” an unfamiliar voice responded and a confused face popped up from its grip on the bulbasaur. The stranger’s eyebrows arched together as he growled, “I don’t care what the heck it’s named, but I want the berries. I saw them first!”

Sunny growled back at the strange boy and Marco contorted his face into as angry an expression as he could muster. It seemed like intimidation was the best route to go, even though it didn’t quite suit the young trainer’s personality.

“Let. Go. Of. My. Pokémon,” he growled.

The stranger froze and released his hold on Bulbasaur. The Pokémon took the opportunity to escape and stand behind Marco, holding up her prize in defiance of the competition.

Now that his Pokémon was back at his side, Marco relaxed and his usual smile threatened to return. He looked over the stranger slouched on the ground before him. The boy’s angular face held a frustrated scowl as he scrutinized Marco. The other boy was covered with dirt and scratches, most likely from the scuffle with Bulbasaur. His strange, two-tone brown hair stuck up awkwardly and was likewise matted with dirt. From his overall impression, Marco guessed that the boy couldn’t have been any older than he was.

The frustration on the boy’s face intensified as he looked down at the ground before Marco. “Can… Can I have some of those berries?” He blurted out, anxious eyes darting up toward Marco before traveling back down to the damp dirt around him, “My food ration ran out a while ago and--” His sentence was cut off as his stomach growled, almost echoing in the silence between the two boys.

A chuckle escaped Marco’s lips before he could stop it and the boy glared up at him angrily. “Well,” Marco coughed, trying to keep his laughter at bay, “I was going to cook some beans too, if you want to join me at the campsite.”

The stranger’s angry expression melted into amazement and he nodded quickly, moving his head in harsh jerks before the offer could be taken away.

A genuine smile spread across Marco’s lips as he held out a hand to help the dirt-covered boy to his feet. The noises Sunny was making behind him told Marco that she didn’t trust their guest. But Marco couldn’t find it in his heart to leave the wanderer to starve.

* * *

 

“So…” Marco started when he set up the can of beans over the fire. The two boys were seated on the ground, watching the fire crackle under the tin can. “My name’s Marco,” he smiled, “and this is Sunny,” he patted the bulbasaur’s head. Sunny leaned into Marco’s hand but kept her eyes on the stranger sitting next to her trainer. She still wasn’t fond of the berry thief, but trusted Marco’s judgment enough to not attack him.

Said berry thief was raking a hand through his sandy hair, attempting to remove as much dirt from his unruly locks as possible. When the boy looked up, his amber eyes practically glowed in the red light of the fire. The harsh glint in them was gone and Marco began to wonder if he just naturally had a disgruntled expression all the time.

In a soft voice that Marco could barely hear, the boy responded, “…It’s Jean.” He shifted away awkwardly, somewhat uneasy again now that he had said his name. He intently moved to study the way his shoes scuffed the dirt in front of him.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Jean,” Marco smiled. Jean looked up at him in surprise and mumbled, “You got my name right.”

Marco tilted his head to the side, “Well, you did just tell it to me.” Years of helping his mother at the academy had taught him to remember names and faces, whether they were common or not.

The befuddlement that crossed Marco’s face made the other boy’s mouth lift into an awkward smile, “Well even when I tell people, they usually mess it up anyway.”

“That sucks,” Marco murmured, absently scratching under Sunny’s chin.

Jean’s eyes followed the movement and he chuckled, “Well maybe you just have a thing for weird names. Naming your bulbasaur Sunny and all.”

Marco’s response of squinting and puffing out his cheeks in defiance made his antagonist laugh even harder. He didn’t stop snickering until he caught the words, “No dinner for you then,” from his mealtime benefactor.

Jean tried to pull his face into order, “Okay, okay, I’ll be good, Freckles.”

“Mmph,” Marco replied, commanding his lips to not give his smile away. He couldn’t help but find the stranger interesting. For all the harshness in his face, the worst the boy seemed to be was insecure. And when he laughed, he smiled just as much as anyone else.

Jean shifted his body so that his chest was facing Marco. He batted his eyelashes and smirked, “If you forgive me, I’ll let you meet my Pokémon.”

Marco couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that, an expression that was rarely on his face. Eventually though, his smile finally won out and he gave in. Jean made a celebratory grunt and shifted so he could pull a Pokéball off of his belt. With a click the ball expanded to full size and with a second it popped open.

The flash of light nearly blinded Marco and it took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness again. When he could finally see, Marco’s only response was, “oh.”

Nestled in Jean’s arms was a ball of fluffy gray fur. Not only had Marco never seen a shiny before, but Jean’s face held a gentler expression than Marco ever expected to see. The harsh edges of the boy’s face seemed softer as the silver tufted Pokémon snuggled into his chest.

“Marco, meet Eevee,” Jean shifted slightly so that the other boy could get a better view of the Pokémon. It poked its head up in response and perked its ears at the sight of Marco.

“Hi there,” Marco cooed. The eevee’s ears twitched at the sound of his voice, curious as to who this other person was. Marco held his hand out and Eevee gave it a timid sniff before licking his fingers. Marco laughed and Sunny wandered closer to see what the excitement was about. Sunny and Eevee curiously sniffed each other, communicating in short hums and whines.

While their Pokémon were getting to know each other, Marco got up to check on their food. He glanced back and smiled at the happy scene around the campfire. Yeah, Marco could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean is a dork and it doesn't get better anytime soon.
> 
> Marco meets some more new faces next chapter.
> 
> My tumblr is at dat-heichou.tumblr.com if you would like to talk to me or have some input for Pokemon choices in the future. Please let me know what you think. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys encounter a few more trainers in the woods. Jean makes a fool of himself.

Jean awoke to find himself alone.  Marco’s sleeping bag was empty and there was no sign of him or his bulbasaur. 

“That freckled dork ditched me,” Jean groaned, scratching his head.  The dirt that he hadn’t removed the night before felt gritty between his fingers and practically glued his hair to his forehead.

“Well if that’s what you really think of me, then no berries for you this morning.”

Jean looked up to see Marco standing over him, arms laden with berries.  Sunny grunted in agreement, standing next to her trainer with her own pick cradled in her vines.  In the bright morning light, Marco’s freckles were even more prominent on his skin and all Jean wanted to do was to find a pen and play connect the dots.

“Well anyone that ditches me is a dork,” Jean yawned, arching his back as he stretched.  “As long as you’re with me you’re not a dork.”

Marco chuckled as he set down the berries in his arms and sat on his sleeping bag. “So what am I when I’m with you?” he mused while he combed his short black hair with his fingers.

Jean shrugged as he popped an Oran berry in his mouth, “We have a few days to figure that out I guess.”

The night before, the two boys had agreed that they might as well travel together until they reached the city.  Marco would share his food and Jean would help with the stronger wild Pokémon.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Marco laughed, taking a handful of berries for himself to eat.  He couldn’t help but wonder if the edgier boy would consider them friends by the end of it.

 

* * *

 

It was a bit strange walking with someone else.  The silence between them was broken only by the rustling of bushes around them.  It was hard to tell if the silence was more awkward than an attempt at conversation would be.  They had only known each other less than one day and their conversation topics already seemed worn out.

Surprisingly enough, Jean was the first to speak.  “So you haven’t caught a Pokémon yet, right?”  His amber eyes never left the bushes in front of them and Marco wondered why the air between them seemed so awkward.  Couldn’t Jean at least look at him when he spoke?

“No, I haven’t,” Marco admitted, eyeing Jean warily.  It didn’t seem like Jean had caught any of his own yet, so why was he acting weird about it?

Suddenly Jean stopped in his tracks, bracing his feet in the dirt.  Tension settled into Marco’s stomach as he turned to see what was wrong.  The stress ebbed a bit as Jean finally met Marco’s eyes.  The determined smirk that he flashed Marco’s way made him a bit uneasy though.

“You should make that your first catch,” Jean nodded towards the bush that had caught his eye earlier.

Marco turned toward the bush, which was shaking with Pokémon activity.  .  Marco gulped and braced his own feet, searching his belt for Sunny’s ball.  His heart beat harder as he waited to see what was hiding.

A caterpie peered out at him and the boy relaxed a bit.  He could do this.  Caterpie were easy to catch, right?

“Let’s go, Sunny,” Marco threw his Pokéball into the clearing, releasing the bulbasaur.  His Pokémon made excited noises and looked at the bug before it curiously.

“Sunny, use tackle on the caterpie.”  The grass Pokémon dashed at the caterpillar before it, slamming their bodies into each other.

The caterpie cried out in surprise and quickly turned to entangle Sunny in a string shot.  The sticky substance slowed the bulbasaur’s legs and made it harder for her to move.  The caterpie sprinted  forward with its own tackle before Sunny could move.  Her growl intimidated the smaller Pokémon, but the battle remained evenly matched.

Jean snorted at how intense the battle seemed to be.  “If you lose to a caterpie, I am so laughing at you.”

A frown creased Marco’s face, but he never tore his attention away from the battle before him.  “Well you catch a Pokémon then, if you’re so good at it,” he retorted.

“Fine,” Jean replied smugly, “then I’ll just be in the grass over here.  Catching Pokémon like a real man.”

A scoff lifted Marco’s lips at that.  “You’re what, ten?”

“Still manlier than you,” Jean waved over his shoulder as he walked off.

 

* * *

 

 A high pitched beep resounded as the Pokéball rocked on the ground.  “We did it, Sunny!” Marco smiled, walking forward to scoop up their prize.  “Our first catch,” he patted the bulbasaur’s head gently before letting her rest in her own Pokéball.  He clicked the two balls into his belt and turned toward the patch of grass that Jean had indicated earlier.  The trees were fuller and thick boughs blocked Marco’s vision.  After a few minutes of wandering, he began to realize that this part of the forest resembled a living maze. 

“I should have learned last night that splitting up in the woods was a bad idea,” Marco chastised himself.  He stopped and strained his ears for any sound of Jean.  His blood chilled when he heard yelling in the distance.  Could Jean really have gotten in trouble in just the few minutes he was gone?

Marco followed the yelling, distinguishing multiple voices as he got closer.

“I would have had it, if you didn’t get in the way!”

“Oh, forget it.  You were getting your butt whupped anyway.”

“Eren, stop.”

“Why, you!!”

Marco made it to the scene, finding Jean in a fighting stance:  feet spread, arms bent in front of his body, fists clenched with thumbs tucked in.  Nearly face to face with Jean was a shorter boy in a mirroring stance, his dark hair falling into his intense green stare.  Two other people stood on the sideline, a concerned looking blond with his hands raised palm outwards and a stoic faced girl with long black hair.  None of them noticed Marco’s arrival, too caught up in the building tension.

Jean’s right fist visibly tensed, ready to deliver the first blow.

“Jean!” Marco cried, anger and concern mingling in his voice.

Jean’s stance faltered as surprise overtook him, his eyes darting to find the source of Marco’s voice.  The shorter boy took this moment of distraction as his opportunity to strike, aiming his fist at Jean’s face.

Before he realized what he was doing, Marco had started running forward, but he wasn’t fast enough.  Jean hadn’t turned back to face the fight when his whole body was knocked backward.  Marco knelt beside the disheveled boy, tilting his head up to search for wounds.  Surprisingly there was not a mark on his face and Jean’s hand was gripped protectively to his stomach instead.

Before the blow had landed, the girl had darted forward, inserting herself between the boys, grabbing the aggressing boy’s fist in her hand and using her momentum to hip check Jean out of the way.

“Leave the fighting to the Pokémon,” she criticized, staring intensely into the boy’s eyes. 

“Tch,” he turned away from her dark steadfast eyes, but his body visibly relaxed as his fists lowered to his sides.  “It’s his fault,” the dark haired boy glared at Jean where he was doubled over on the ground.

Marco’s hands gripped Jean’s shoulders.  Whether it was a restraining or protective motion, even Marco didn’t know.

The pressure made Jean’s back relax, slumping back against Marco’s arms.  “Suuure,” he muttered.

“What happened?”  Marco asked, his eyes flitting to each person before him.  Adrenaline was pumping through his veins after his dash to Jean.  His grip tightened to keep his hands from shaking.  Jean seemed to take this action as his cue to start talking.

“Well I caught a weedle, but that’s not any more impressive than your caterpie.  So I saw a pidgey and would have caught it if he hadn’t showed up and scared it off.”  Jean leveled a glare at the offending party, who most likely would have barked out a response if the girl in front of him hadn’t flashed him a deep look of her own.

Marco sighed, moving one of his hands from Jean’s shoulders to smooth back his black mop of hair tiredly.  “That’s still not a good reason to try to punch someone, Jean.”

“Glad Armin and I aren’t the only ones with sense here,” the girl said.  Her tone barely changed but the hard look she gave her friend softened when she glanced at Marco.  It seemed they shared a mutual respect for each other’s ability to deal with hotheads. 

Now that the situation was diffusing, the blond walked up to moderate further proceedings.  “I’m Armin, and that’s Eren,” he gestured at the boy with the angry eyes, “and Mikasa,” the girl nodded.  “We’re Pokémon trainers from Shiganshina.”

“We’re Pokémon trainers too,” Marco chirped, feeling a relaxed smile settle on his cheeks now that the tension was slowly evaporating, “I’m Marco and…”

“Jean,” the other boy nodded.  The agitation was starting to ebb from his face, leaving only a disinterested frown in its wake.

Armin slid his hands over a large rock, knocking off some of the dirt and fallen leaves from its surface before perching on it.  “So are you guys from the same town?” he asked as Mikasa sat down next to him, gently but assuredly pulling Eren along.  The latter moped but followed willingly, some of the traces of anger leaving his face.

“Actually, we met in this forest yesterday,” Marco told him, suddenly realizing that he didn’t know where Jean was from, or anything else about him for that matter.

Jean’s ears reddened slightly as he anticipated the question of how they met.  He certainly didn’t want these people to know that he couldn’t even feed himself.

“So you guys hit it off right away?” the girl asked, tilting her head the slightest degree in her attempt to read the two strangers before her.

“Well someone had to help this loser get to the city.  He’d never get out in one piece on his own,” Jean blurted, the words escaping his lips before anyone had time to think.

Marco bit his lip.  It wasn’t like it was a one-sided situation.  It was a mutual decision to help each other.  Jean didn’t have to put it that way.  Marco thought that they were becoming friends…

Eren read the upset expression on Marco’s face and bristled again.  “Heh.  You say he’s the loser who depends on you, but he was the one who ran in to save your sorry butt.”

Jean bristled but shame covered his cheeks.  He knew that Marco deserved better, but he was too proud to say that he was wrong.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Marco laughed awkwardly.  Jean looked back at him, his amber eyes full of guilt, but Marco just forced a smile that looked ugly and out of place on his face.  It was then that Marco realized that his hand was still on Jean’s shoulder, a friendly gesture that seemed out of place.  He released his hold and stood up, wiping his hand on his pants.

“Well, shall we get walking?  We might reach the city by tomorrow if we keep going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this posted a little later than I wanted, but it's up now. 
> 
> I'm going to be internetless for vacation soon, so I'm thinking of putting up another chapter by Monday to make up for it.
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean is a dork, continued.

The rest of the day spent traveling with the Shiganshina trio was rather pleasant for Marco.  He led the way with Armin and Mikasa, enjoying sharing traveling advice and Pokémon knowledge with them.  Armin was full of new knowledge and trivia, reminding Marco of why he wanted to leave home in the first place.  He hoped that someday he would be able to find the answers to all of his questions about the world, like the blond seemed to be doing.  The girl emitted a comforting atmosphere, even if she didn’t contribute much to the conversation.  It was as though the trio was a family unit and Marco couldn’t help but be somewhat envious.

Eren was too energetic to keep pace with them for too long, flitting between raging on ahead and making his way back to them.  No matter where Eren seemed to wander, Mikasa always seemed able to find him.  It was a trick that Marco envied when he considered how he had recently almost lost both Sunny and Jean in these woods.

Jean himself kept in the back, not only keeping as much space as possible from Eren but also from Marco and the others.  Guilt chewed at him and he knew that he should have apologized to Marco right away, even if it meant looking stupid.  Seeing him smile with the others assured the shaggy blond that Marco was feeling better but corroded him with thoughts of his own toxicity.

“You should be easier on him.”

Jean jerked around awkwardly, surprised out of his thoughts to find that Eren had slowed down to walk beside him.  Jean was about to bite out a retort when Eren held up a hand to stop him.  “Marco actually likes you as a person.  You should be nice to him.  Goodness knows how long you’ll have to wait to find as good a friend if you scare him off.”  Jean eyed the ground, not wanting to agree with Eren.

The dark haired boy grunted, sensing the hypocrisy Jean seemed to find in him.  “I can be a jerk to Armin and Mikasa sometimes, but they have each other to gang up and get me back for it.”  Jean snorted air through his nose at that idea.  “But if it’s just you and Marco, then he has to burden all of the stupid shit you do.  Don’t give him extra by insulting him.”

Jean sighed, bringing his eyes up to look at Marco’s back several paces ahead.  “I know… I just don’t think he’ll let me apologize.”

Eren let out a sigh of his own and Jean finally looked over at him.  The sunlight practically made his green eyes look golden and it gave his face an almost inhuman glow.  Eren gave Jean a knowing smile. “That guy is like the most forgiving person I’ve ever met.  You’re just being a wimp who’s afraid to say he’s sorry.”

With that, the boy sped up to join the others, giving Jean time to think.

 

* * *

 

Since they were moving in such a large group, the wild Pokémon gave them a wide berth.  Any of the creatures curious enough to get close were pounced upon by Eren and his cydaquil.  Marco certainly didn’t mind this because he knew that Sunny was still tired from their earlier battle.  Besides, it kept their traveling pace quicker.  In fact, they became so ahead of schedule that by the time the sky was starting to darken, they could see house lights twinkling in the distance.

“What should we do now?” Marco asked, eyeing the setting sun with trepidation.

“If we keep going at this pace, we’ll certainly reach the city before nightfall,” Eren beamed, his eyes glowing with excitement.

“Or we’ll end up lost in the outskirts of the woods when it’s too dark to make camp,” Armin reasoned.

Eren pouted at his blond friend, trying to argue that his cyndaquil could always light the way.  Armin was replying that the Pokémon didn’t have enough control yet and was too much of a fire hazard when Marco turned back to find Jean.  He came crashing through the underbrush behind them, looking a little worse for the wear.  Twigs were caught in his hair and his knees were stained with new streaks of dirt.

Marco opened his mouth to ask what had happened but Eren beat him to it:  “What the heck happened to you?”

“I tripped,” Jean grumped, furrowing his eyebrows but refusing to make eye contact with any of the people in front of him.

Eren harrumphed, tilting his head back to better eye at Jean.  At this, the loner suddenly glared up at him, the two locking into an intense stare.  Marco looked on at the silent clash.  The voiceless dares were practically tangible in the fading sunlight.

Without breaking the stare, Jean steadied his voice, “I think we should set up camp.”

Marco watched for Eren’s reaction, surprised to see that he remained quiet in the face of Jean’s direct challenge.  Eren simply continued looking into Jean’s eyes, a blank gesture that contained no hint of anger.  Jean stared steadily back.

“Fine.  You took too long catching up to us anyway,” Eren turned to nod at Armin.

The blond stepped forward to divide up the labor, “I’ll clear out a camping spot.  Mikasa and Eren can gather wood and get the fire going.”  He looked over at Marco, silently asking what he wanted to do.

Marco opened his mouth to respond, “I’ll help with--”

“I can help Marco with dinner,” Jean answered quickly, flashing Marco a surprisingly earnest glance.

“Ah… yeah,” Marco added, concerned but curious.  They hadn’t spoken a word to each other since they had started walking. 

A smirk blossomed on Eren’s face before he and Mikasa headed off to gather kindling.  Armin indicated to the clearing that he was planning on setting up camp.  Then Jean and Marco were left alone.

 

* * *

 

At first, the two boys walked in silence as Marco searched for the right berry bushes.  He finally found what he was looking for:  a plump bush of pecha berries.  The freckled boy knelt beside the plant, loading his arms with the pink fruit.  There was a crunch as Jean settled on the ground beside him, clumsily selecting his own cache.  Marco eyed him curiously, wondering if he would finally tell him what was going on.  The telepathic conversation with Eren.  Jean’s proposal of helping Marco with dinner.  The way he had been avoiding Marco’s eyes all day. 

Marco had no idea what to expect when Jean finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Mikasa’s really pretty.”

Well it certainly wasn’t that.

“Her hair is so black and shiny and she’s so freaking strong.  I mean, I’ve never had someone just knock me off my feet like that.”

Marco stopped picking fruit, wondering what exactly Jean was doing by telling him this.  Was it a move of camaraderie to bypass his earlier insult?  To talk about how stunning Mikasa was?

Jean shifted his light eyes to catch the confused look on Marco’s face.  Realizing that he was doing a bad job of explaining himself, the blond brought his eyes back to the occupying task of berry hunting while he rambled on.  “Eren is a jerk and he obviously thinks he’s so much better than me.  Like he’s a freaking saint.”  Jean scoffed at that thought, sobering when he noticed that Marco’s face now held an even more perplexed expression.  “And Armin’s a pretty cool guy too, seems like.”  Marco nodded hesitantly.  His arms were full and he grounded his feet to get up.  But he stayed put, waiting for Jean to get to the point. 

Jean’s ears reddened a bit and he took a deep breath before following up on his train of thought.  “Look I… All I thought was that I didn’t want to look bad in front of them, especially jerk-face Eren.”  He frowned at that, realizing that the main jerk-face in question was himself before continuing.  “Words just came out and I didn’t think.  I’m sorry, Marco, I just didn’t think.  You’re like the nicest person I’ve met since I left home and I was mean to you.”  He inhaled some more, trying to figure out what else he needed to say.  “I’m the loser and I’m sorry you got stuck helping me in the woods.”

The flustered look in Marco’s eyes softened and he rose to his feet.  Jean looked up at him, wondering if the boy in front of him would finally wise up and ditch him in the woods.  Jean eyed the berries in his arms, relieved that at the very least he could feed himself.  Never mind the fact that his sleeping bag was back with Armin.

Marco couldn’t help but laugh at how determined Jean was eyeing his fruit.  “Well come on, lets find the others back before it gets too dark.”

Jean’s eyes widened as he stood to face Marco.  “Wait, does this mean that you forgive me?  You’re not ditching me in the woods?”

“Well, I’ll forgive you…” Marco smiled playfully, “If you’ll be friends with me.”  At that, he turned and started walking, leaving Jean standing gaping after him.  The later pumped his legs to catch up.

“Why on earth would you want to be friends with me?”

Marco smiled back at the wide eyed expression of the guy behind him.  “You’re an interesting person, Jean.  And besides, someone has to help you learn how to apologize properly.”

By this point Jean had caught up with Marco’s longer stride and the two boys walked together in newfound ambivalent silence.

 

* * *

 

The two boys’ arrival at the campsite brought silence from the three friends, who turned to eye them warily.  The sleeping bags were laid out and a fire crackled away in the middle of the site, a pot of beans cooking above the flames.

Marco simply smiled in response to the unasked question and the conversation resumed again.  Armin gestured for them to sit down and all five Pokémon trainers were absorbed into eating and talking.  Even Jean was welcomed like the earlier tension was never there. 

The only allusion to before was when Eren teased Jean for taking such a long amount of time to apologize, even getting so worked up over it to keep stumbling behind everyone else.  Even then, Jean was able to keep his cool, tipping his chin at Marco with pride in this accomplishment, making the freckled boy laugh.  It was a rocky day but by the end of it, Marco was sure that he had found four people he could soon call friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had too much fun writing Jean's 'apology.'
> 
> Please let me know what you think. :) 
> 
> You can reach me at dat-heichou.tumblr.com
> 
> Oh and I probably won't be able to update for a week or two. But that will give me plenty of time to write rough drafts so there might be a double update when I get back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco unintentionally presses some buttons.

Early the next day, the five reached the city.  The sunlight seemed harsh without the shade of the large trees that had surrounded them before.  Jean tried to scrunch his eyes so tightly to block out the glare that only a sliver remained open.  Marco giggled at how it amped his usual expression from disgruntled to murderous. 

Eren shook with laughter at every person that switched sides of the street before passing them.  “You look like an angry hoodlum.”

“No I don’t!” Jean exclaimed while the others exchanged a look.  Compared to the rest of them, Jean really looked a mess.  His tussle with Bulbasaur and his distracted tumbles he had taken the day before had matted his clothing with dirt.  His habit of running a hand through his hair constantly unearthed new twigs from his locks.

Armin and Mikasa looked miraculously put together, like they hadn’t spent days camping out in the forest.  Mikasa’s motherly meticulousness would have also ensured Eren’s cleanliness if he didn’t have the tendency to rush ahead and smack face first into branches. Jean loudly pointed out Eren’s dirty cheeks, which honestly did not compare to his own.

Jean turned to examine Marco’s face and huffed, “And Freckles just looks a little more freckly than usual.  Why am I the only one that’s a mess?!”

Marco laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed to be stared at so closely.  “Well, once we get cleaned up at the Pokémon Center, then no one will be.”  Pokémon Centers were built with the traveling trainers in mind, containing a few rooms of bunks and bathrooms complete with shower stalls.  The group settled in, leaving their Pokémon with Nurse Joy for treatment while they went to get cleaned up. 

A short time later, Marco returned to the lobby, feeling refreshed.  His damp hair dripped cool drops onto his neck and he sighed.  As much as he loved nature, it felt amazing to come back to civilization.  He waved at the Shinganshina trio from where they were surrounding the blocky console of a phone.

It seemed as good a time as any to call his own mother.  Marco sat down at a console and punched in the familiar numbers.  A half-minute of ringing went by before two familiar freckled faces appeared on the screen.

“Marcooo!” his little sister cried, raising her hands to grab the monitor in excitement.

“Hi honey,” his mother smiled warmly, “How have your first days on your own been?”

Marco excitedly began telling her of his adventures:  making a friend out of the berry thief, catching Caterpie, finding a trio of trainers from Shiganshina.

It was around this time that Jean stepped out into the lobby, running his hands through his now clean hair, making several locks stick out in amusing angles.  He glanced around before his eyes settled on the back of Marco’s head.

“Hey Marco,” Jean walked closer, stopping when he had a better view of the screen in front of the other boy.  Three tan faces tuned to look at Jean, constellations of freckles smattered across each of their cheeks.

“I’m interrupting,” Jean mumbled, surprised by the strong family resemblance before him.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Marco smiled, an expression that seemed softer than any Jean had seen on him before.  “Come say hi.”

Jean slowly made his way forward.  He couldn’t help but feel intimidated by their happy smiles.

“Hi,” he mumbled when Marco held out the handset to him.  Marco shifted the phone so that both boys could be heard.

“Mom, Marie, this is Jean.  Jean, this is my mom and my sister.”

“That’s a weird name,” the little girl scrunched her nose.

The woman next to her shot her a look before greeting him.  “It’s nice to meet you Jean.  Please continue looking out for my son.’

His ears burned and he looked down at his feet.  “I haven’t really done much.  Marco’s helped me out much more.”  His ears reddened further when he felt Marco smile at him again.

“That’s because he’s an old man on the inside,” a bright voice answered through the phone, “and he’s adopted you as his funny-haired baby.”

“Marie!” Marco exclaimed, a slight blush highlighting his freckled cheeks.

“Well then, your Marco has also adopted an angry shortie, a blond smartie, and a kick-butt babe,” Jean smirked, feeling much more comfortable with the little girl’s teasing than the earlier sincerity.  “And my hair’s not that funny.”  Marie stuck her tongue out at him and Jean returned the gesture.

The woman on the other side of the screen simply laughed.  “Well, Marco’s always been good at taking care of people.”

“Too good,” Marie snorted.

“You just like making trouble,” Marco teased, his blush fading slightly.

Jean simply watched the family before him.  He mumbled softly and Marco thought he caught the word “nice” before Jean excused himself.  He let Marco talk to his family and found himself a seat to wait in.  After a while he zoned out, watching movement rather than the individual people walking past him.

“Jean, there you are.”

The boy in question fought to focus his eyes again and turned toward the voice, squinting hard.  Marco simply smiled, refreshed from his phone call home.

“Did you call your family, Jean?”

It was an innocent question but it caused the expression on Jean’s face to harden.  The usual mischievous glint in his eyes was gone, making them look dark and hollow.

“No,” was his simple answer and Marco didn’t want to push it.  Even just the concerned expression on Marco’s face seemed to pain Jean, whose lips clamped into a harder frown at the sight of it.

“Marco!  Jean!”  The appearance of their three traveling companions diluted the intense situation.

“What have you guys been up to?” Armin asked, resting his hands on the back of a chair across from Jean’s.  Eren took this opportunity to rest his arm lazily across the blonde’s shoulders.  Mikasa perched in the chair in front of them, leaning back until her hair mingled with Armin’s fingers.  They seemed more relaxed than Marco or Jean had ever seen them.

“I met Freckles’ saintly family.” Jean answered, sounding normal even though his faint smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Marie is not a saint,” Marco snorted.

“Well she will be when she reaches full maturity at ten, like you did.”  Now Jean’s eyes finally lightened to match the teasing in his voice.  With this, Marco was able to relax and push the strange incident from his mind.

“What about you guys?” Marco asked.

“Called my mom,” Eren answered, angling his head to make sure Jean didn’t say anything snide on the topic.  When no snarky remarks came, he relaxed further into his lean on Armin’s shoulder.

A thought flashed in Marco’s mind that he was surprised hadn’t occurred to him before.  “Since you guys are from Shinganshina, do you know Professor Jaeger?”

This time, Eren was the one whose eyes darkened.  Apparently Marco knew how to unintentionally set everyone on edge.

“Hey, our Pokemon are probably ready,” Armin interrupted, trying to defuse the situation.

Everyone looked at each other for a minute.  Mikasa twisted in her seat, putting her hand on top of Eren’s and silently looking up at him.  Eren stood frozen, staring at Marco and Marco looked uneasily back.  Jean tilted his head curiously at the situation, wondering what exactly Eren’s deal was.

But in the end, it was Jean who stood up first, clapping his hand on Marco’s shoulder.  Marco jumped slightly at the sudden contact and wrenched his line of sight from Eren to face Jean.

“Armin’s right, we should go to the main desk and get our Pokémon,” Jean decided.  With that, the spell was broken and time seemed to move again.  Jean and Marco started walking to the desk with Armin and Mikasa leading Eren behind them.  

Before they made it to the desk, the Pokémon Center was suddenly thrown into darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! :) And to make up for the wait, I might get the next chapter edited and uploaded tonight.
> 
> For reference, the phones are the ones from the original anime, like seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cGU379zFo
> 
> And as always, I'm on tumblr (dat-heichou.tumblr.com).


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysterious figures make an appearance. There will be blood!

“What’s going on?”

 Jean stumbled backward in the dark, colliding into Marco’s chest.  The taller boy let out a cry of pain as the back of Jean’s head crashed into his nose.  Both boys would have fallen to the floor, had not a strong pair of arms grabbed onto them.

“I got you,” a deep voice whispered behind them as the arms held them just long enough for the boys to find a new footing.

They felt the man walk away and were left utterly lost in the overwhelming darkness.  Jean grabbed two handfuls of the back of Marco’s shirt while Marco gently brought a hand to his nose, feeling his fingers come away wet.  His other hand found its way to his pocket and pulled out his Pokédex, clicking it open and releasing a faint burst of light.

“Oh man,” Jean whispered, the slight glow allowing him to see the blood dripping from Marco’s nose, “Did I do that?”

“’S Fine,” Marco muttered, bringing his hand back up to his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding.  A faint metallic taste was slowly infiltrating his mouth as he spoke.

They used the light from his Pokédex to maneuver slowly in an attempt to find Mikasa, Eren, and Armin.  When they finally caught sight of three forms huddled together, a female figure hovering protectively over two males, the lights suddenly flashed on.

The sudden change was blinding and it took a few minutes for their eyes to focus again.  When they did, the first thing that Marco noticed was that the nurses were gone.

Eren, the first to react, ran up to the counter and vaulted over it, looking for traces of the professionals.  “The Pokémon are gone!”  The occupants of the Pokémon Center began to shout, for help, for information, for their loved ones. 

“Freaking out’s not going to solve anything,” Marco advised, raising his arms in caution.  His words did little to calm the people, especially with blood dripping down his face and right hand, but a deeper voice overrode them, the same voice that had spoken to Marco and Jean in the dark.

“The boy’s right.  The key to fixing the situation is to remain calm.”  A tall imposing figure stepped up through the sea of people to stand in front of the counter.  His blond hair was brushed to the side in an orderly fashion and his intense blue eyes cut through the crowd.  Everything in his demeanor screamed professional and in control.

“This most likely has been an attack by Team Rocket.  We’ve locked down the facility and they won’t get away.  My associate and I will handle the situation.  He’s the one who turned the lights back on.  We have everything under control, but you need to remain calm.”  The determined set of his jaw and his large furrowed brows left little room for argument.  The crowd hushed and stared up at him.

“So cool,” Eren whispered, an awed expression starring his eyes.  Marco had to agree that the control the man had was impressive, though he was already biased from the time the man helped him and Jean in the dark.

A small figure leaned out of the door to the backrooms of the building.  “Erwin,” it hissed, “Its time to move.”

The other man was the visual opposite of the man that had previously addressed them.  For all of the first stranger’s fair features, the other was dark and brooding.  Black hair hung over intense black eyes.  While the first man had to be over six feet tall, this new man was not much larger than the ten-year olds.

“Just remain calm while we apprehend these criminals,” the blond concluded before following his shorter friend through the door.  Only a few seconds had passed before Eren and Jean started making their way to the door the two strangers had used.

“What are you guys doing?” Marco hissed under his breath, trying to draw as little attention to them as possible.

“They might be tricking us,” Jean growled softly, “saying those things just so they can slip out when they’re really the thieves!”

“Could you imagine what their Pokémon are like?” Eren wondered, his voice a soft whisper of awe, “I bet they’re really strong.  I wanna see them in action!” 

While the two had very different reasoning, both were dogmatic about following after the strange men.

“You’re not going alone,” was Mikasa’s answer, leaving Marco and Armin to follow along as the other three slipped through the doors.

 

* * *

 

There were only empty hallways on the other side of the doors.  They led through the back rooms in a maze-like pattern and the kids wondered if they would ever come across the men again.

Voices emanated from the end of the hall and the five followed them, trying to move as quickly as possible without alerting anyone to their presence.  A burst of wind knocked them back and a sound of raining plastic met their ears.

“Erwin, are you really going to let them get away?”

“They’re only children, Levi.  We’ve reclaimed what they stole, so let’s give them a chance.”

Eren pushed forward and the others carefully followed, peering around a corner to see who was speaking.

“Using kids is just foul,” the shorter man grumbled, “they don’t know what kind of crap they’re getting involved in.”

The blond stepped forward to gently stroke the feathers of a bird that was nearly his size.  “We can hope that they find a way to get out of the organization soon.”

A large creature covered in white fur stepped forward and caught sight of Eren, its intense red gaze stopping him in his tracks.  It didn’t utter a sound, yet it didn’t need to.  The dark haired man turned to face the Pokémon and its view.

“More children,” he sighed disinterestedly.  The taller man and his equally intimidating pet turned to them as well, their gaze seeming to read the hearts of the  onlookers. 

Mikasa shifted slightly, fully sliding in front of Armin and reaching out to grab Eren, ready to launch herself forward at the first sign of danger.  Jean braced his feet and curled his hands into fists.  Marco reached forward to hold Jean back but the determined boy slipped through his fingers and took a few steps forward.

Jean glared at the men and pointed a defiant finger at them.  “For all we knew, you were the thieves, so of course we couldn’t let you slip away!”

The darker man’s eyebrow quirked almost imperceptibly and the faintest curve of a grin appeared on the blonde’s face.

The taller man reached inside a large burlap bag lying on the ground beside him to retrieve a Pokéball.  “Even unarmed?” he asked with a wry smile.

“That takes guts,” the other man commented, scoffing when he saw Jean’s posture quake slightly.  His Pokémon stepped closer to inspect Jean, its dark talons clacking on the tile floor.

Mikasa’s grip on Eren tightened, the joints of her fingers turned white with the force she exerted.  Marco took a frightened step forward, trying to ready himself to grab Jean if the need arose.

“Levi, don’t scare them,” the taller man sighed, replacing the Pokéball in his hand and shifting the bag to his shoulder.  “I think they got the message.”  He leveled his eyes on each trainer in front of him before focusing on Jean.  “In case you didn’t, here it is:  Courage is admirable but recklessness is not.  You need to be prepared so that you don’t get hurt.”

“Your friend already needs medical attention,” the shorter man nodded at Marco’s bloodstained face, “so you failed on that today.”  Marco paled, suddenly remembering the pain pulsing in his tender nose.  Jean blushed, remembering that he was at fault.

The blond man recalled his Pokémon, nodding to the other man to follow suit.  “Well, I’m sure one of the nurses can look at it after we get these Pokémon back to them.  Or one of us could do it.”

“Speak for yourself,” the brooding man growled, “Kid’s got blood everywhere and it’s disgusting.”

 

* * *

 

 The men returned the Pokémon to the nurses (who had disappeared to lock down the ICU units and attempt to stop the thieves) and received a hero’s welcome in the lobby.  The nurses were bogged down with the desperate pleas of trainers to regain their Pokémon, so the blond man decided to see to Marco’s nose himself.

He borrowed a first aid kit and settled Marco in a chair in order to get to work. The Shinganshina trio decided to get in line to retrieve their Pokémon and give the man space to tend to Marco.  Jean, on the other hand, decided to sit and watch in order to keep an eye on him.

“Who are you guys?” Marco asked as the man prepared an alcohol wipe to remove the dried blood that was marring the freckles on his face.

“I guess I owe you kids that much,” the man smiled, “I’m Erwin and my associate is named Levi.”  Marco let out a slight whimper as the man touched the wipe to the bridge of his nose.  “It’s not that bad, you just ended up smearing the blood around with your hand.”

Jean slid to the edge of his chair, the crease of his eyebrows making hard lines on his face.  “So who exactly are you guys?  Names don’t tell us why you were the ones who took control like that,” he glared at the side of the man’s face.  “Hey, be careful!” he barked as Marco flinched slightly at Erwin’s prodding.

Erwin threw the wipe away, satisfied that he had gotten most of the blood off.  “I need to feel your nose to make sure its not broken, okay?”

Marco inhaled before nodding and Erwin peered at Jean, “You might want to give your friend some support here.  Hold his shoulders to make sure he doesn’t flinch.”  Jean glared at the man but did as he was told, moving to stand behind Marco’s chair and timidly holding the boy’s shoulders in place.

Erwin gently felt Marco’s nose with his fingers.  “We’re just a pair of Pokémon trainers doing our duty to help others,” he answered, not taking his eyes from the task before him.  He pulled back and smiled at Marco, “It doesn’t look broken, but you should put some ice on it.”

“Thanks,” Marco murmured, rubbing his fingers between his brows timidly.  “And thanks for earlier, I think you helped keep us from falling over in the power outage.”

“I couldn’t prevent that nasty crash of yours though,” the blond smiled, “and thank your for trying to keep everyone calm earlier.  It was very level-headed of you.”

“Let’s go get our Pokémon, Marco,” Jean glared, still wary of the man and uneasy with how trusting his friend seemed to be.  Marco gave Erwin one last grateful smile before he let Jean lead him away.

Erwin waved at the two boys while Levi rejoined him.

“Gutsy little things, aren’t they?” the shorter man clicked his tongue against his teeth.

“Yep,” Erwin laughed, “just like you were a few years ago.”  The other man grunted at that, unimpressed.  “I’m sure we’ll see more of them,” Erwin continued, watching the kids retrieve their Pokémon.

“Yeah,” snorted Levi, “and they’ll leave us a mess to clean up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said there would be blood, I just didn't mention that it was a nosebleed. 
> 
> I hope you guys like this chapter because it was like one of my favorites to write. My love for Erwin is showing.
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think, either on here or on my tumblr (dat-heichou.tumblr.com).


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys begin traveling again. Jean's a dork again and Marco's sass is showing.

As Marco reclaimed Sunny and Caterpie from Nurse Joy, he suddenly realized that his traveling party would soon be parting ways.  Armin had already told him that the Shinganshina trio was already planning to trek westwards while Marco intended to continue North, toward the closest Pokémon Gym in Ragako.

Jean had never mentioned in what direction he was traveling in, but he had also never mentioned his initial agreement with Marco either.  Their deal was that they would help each other through the forest, but there was no indication of where they would go from there.

Marco bit his lip while he thought.  Initially when he set out, he had no qualms about traveling solo.  But now that he had spent time with the other trainers, he didn’t want to go back to being alone again.  He tried to smile again as the group joined up around the seating area, but it felt rigid and unnatural.  Eren was already passionately discussing future traveling plans with Armin and Mikasa while Jean lounged next to them with a disinterested expression on his face.  Marco sat down stiffly beside him, trying to keep his concerns at bay.  His tense posture seemed to give him away though, and Jean eyed him curiously.

“So which gym are you and Jean going to first?” Armin asked, his warm tone trying to welcome Marco into the conversation. 

Marco swallowed, realizing that there was no way for him to avoid his concerns.  “Well actually… I don’t know if we’re going to keep traveling together,” Marco mumbled, raising his hand to scratch his nose.

Surprise and concern flitted across Armin and Mikasa’s faces while Eren simply stared at him, his eyebrows creasing with confusion.

“Do you want to travel by yourself?”  At the question, Marco turned to face Jean, who tilted his head to better face him.  “I did it for a few weeks.  It sorta sucked.”

Marco’s eyes flitted downward, suddenly too shy to meet Jean’s bright, inquisitive gaze.  “Well, I don’t mind if we keep traveling together.  You just seem more like you’d want to travel by yourself.”

A large grin spread on Jean’s sharp face and a chuckle escaped him.  “I already said that I was done with that, Freckles.”

A light blush spread across Marco’s cheeks.  Jean wanted to keep traveling with him too.  He didn’t expect that.

“So where y’all going then,” Eren’s cheshire grin shifted the mood and the conversation went back to traveling plans.  This time though, Marco’s smile was genuine.

 

* * *

 

 The next morning, the five gathered outside of the Pokémon Center, ready to go their separate ways.

“So Jean, you better strengthen up your Pokémon so you can finally battle me.”

“Why would I want to battle you?!”

“Because I’m better than you.”

“What, no way!”

“Then battle me next time we meet.”

“Fine!”

Marco laughed at Eren and Jean’s antics, his anxiety over separating softening as they bantered back and forth.  Armin put his hand on Marco’s shoulder, pulling his attention away from the two hot heads in front of them.

“There’s no reason to let them have all the fun,” the blond grinned mischievously.  “Wanna battle me, Marco?”

Surprise flitted through the taller boy’s features before he answered with a laugh.  “No going easy on me, Armin.”

“Mikasa plays the winner!” Eren cheered, freezing the smiles on the other boys’ faces.  There was no doubt that she would be the toughest competition of them all.

Mikasa simply looked on at the boys, her eyes warm and the faintest hint of a smile on her face.  “I look forward to it, but there’s no way any of you can win against me.”  She brushed her long black hair away from her face and gave them a rare teeth-bearing grin, “As you are now, anyway.”

With that, it was time for their goodbyes.  Fist bumps were exchanged along with final competitive banter.  Marco laughed as Eren granted him a playful salute.

“Don’t cause Marco too much trouble!” the brunette called back to Jean as they walked away.

“Same goes for you and your chaperones!” Jean replied, a cheeky grin spread across his face.

It was later, as houses were growing more sparse and patches of tall grass became more common, that Jean muttered, “that Eren’s gonna get cockier every time we run into him, isn’t he?”

Marco chuckled and glanced over at his companion before responding, “Well, to be fair, you probably will too.”

“Hmph,” the boy beside him grunted.  He opened his mouth to bite out a retort, but stopped when he saw that something had caught Marco’s eye.  With a wide expectant grin, Marco turned back to Jean.

“Do you have a fishing rod?”

Jean had barely nodded when Marco gleefully jogged off to the riverside before them.  Marco’s fishing pole was unpacked and unfolded by the time Jean joined him, plopping down in the grass.

Jean glanced over, surprised to hear Marco humming while he baited his hook.  Cheerfulness was as natural on Marco as surliness was on Jean, but his current mood was surprising.  Jean pulled out his own fishing rod, sneaking glances at his friend as he did so.

“So uh… I guess you like fishing…”

Marco turned his head to grace Jean with his blissful smile.  “Yeah.  Me and my dad used to go fishing a lot when I was little.”  He held up the pole in his hand, “This is his old fishing rod.”  It was well worn and half of the handle’s finish was rubbed away but was in overall good condition.

“Did he get a new one then?”  Jean busied himself with baiting his hook.  He glanced up quickly when he heard Marco’s voice falter.

“He… he passed away two years ago.”

A smile was still frozen on Marco’s face, only making the wet look in his eyes more heartbreaking.  Jean’s fishing pole slipped out of his grip with a thud as he waved his hands around awkwardly, unsure of how to provide comfort.

Finally, he swallowed and cupped Marco’s shoulder in his hand.  “I’m sorry I asked, man.  I had no idea…”

Marco tried to laugh but it sounded feeble and broken, half trapped in his throat.  “It’s okay…  There was no way for you to know.”

Jean’s eyes widened in pain and he let his thumb rub circles onto Marco’s arm, unsure of what else to do.  Marco leaned into the pressure, letting it ground him to reality.

The two boys sat like that for a while, Marco staring at the sunlight reflecting off the water, Jean watching his friend in concern.  Once the tremors in Marco’s jaw subsided, Jean sighed and shifted in the grass.  He never knew what to say when people were upset.  He glanced up at the clouds above them, searching for words that sounded comforting.

“You’re my silver lining.”

“Huh?” Marco turned, his attention brought back to the boy gripping his arm.  Now it was Jean staring at the water, too embarrassed to make eye contact.  “What was that?”

“A while ago you asked what you are when you’re with me.  We were joking around, but…”  Jean hazarded a glance at Marco’s wide eyes before looking away and rushing on, “You’re the silver lining to my big angry storm cloud.  You make me bearable to other people.  If you weren’t here, I would have punched Eren and none of them would have wanted to see me again.”

The faintest reddening could be seen on Jean’s ears.  Marco couldn’t help but laugh, the sound much more natural than it was earlier.  “You know Jean, you could have just said that we were friends.  No need to get all poetic.”

“Shut up,” Jean blushed, knocking Marco on the shoulder before finally retrieving his fishing pole from where it lay forgotten in the grass.  Marco simply laughed and cast his line, his heart feeling somewhat lighter again.

 

* * *

 

 "I don’t know what you’re expecting to catch,” Jean commented quite some time later, “there’s been nothing since we sat down.”

Marco simply hummed, lost in reverie.  The only indication that he was still aware of his surroundings was him releasing one hand from the rod to aimlessly gesture behind them.

“You can get out one of the sandwiches I made earlier, if you’re hungry.”

A gurgling growl answered him and Jean’s ears reddened.  Marco’s smile widened a fraction in response, the rest of his attention lost on the water.

Jean put his fishing pole down and pulled himself over to Marco’s backpack to rummage for food.  With a glance at his friend’s back, he grabbed a second sandwich and returned to his spot in the grass.

Jean noisily unwrapped his sandwich and took a large bite.  As he swallowed, he gingerly placed the other serving on Marco’s knee.

“Eat, Freckles,” he grunted between bites.

His companion let out a light, frustrated sigh but laid down his equipment and took up his food parcel instead.

“We should feed the Pokémon too,” Marco mumbled, reaching for his belt.  Jean balanced his remaining sandwich in his mouth before climbing to his knees and crawling back to Marco’s rucksack.  He clambered back, his lunch still clenched between his lips and a can of Poké-chow in his right hand.  When he returned to Marco’s side, he simply plopped down, holding the can out to him weakly.

Marco chuckled and took the offering, popping it open and setting some out for his bulbasaur and caterpie.  When the body beside him made no effort to get up, Marco simply reached over and tapped on the Pokéballs on his belt, releasing Eevee and Weedle.

“Geeze, Jean, you act like you’re dying of starvation.”

“We’ve been fishing for hours, dude.  Of course I’m starving.  You should be too!”  He tossed a piece of bread crust at Marco, as though that would help prove his point.  It bounced off the boy’s cheek and into the calm water beside him.

Marco’s eyebrow quirked, “You know, Jean.  For someone so hungry, you sure are wasting food.”  With that, he threw a scrap of his own bread at Jean, landing it right in the collar of his shirt.

“Oh, you’re on now!”

The Pokémon watched their trainers curiously, helping themselves to their nutritious pellets.  Laughter rang out as the boy’s occupied themselves, rapidly turning a food fight into wrestling match.

Then, Sunny released a curious grunt.  “What’s wrong?” Marco turned from his current position in a headlock against Jean’s chest.

“Wha--” Jean peeked around the head of the boy trapped in his arms only to be silenced by a hand to his mouth.

A horsea had crept closer to the shore, nibbling on the loose bread crumbs that had fallen in the water.  Marco effortlessly untangled himself from Jean’s hold and edged closer, trying not to make any sudden movements.  Jean followed, attempting to copy the approach of the larger boy.

“Are you going to catch it?” he asked from behind him.

“We can let it east first,” Marco smiled, entranced by the way the creature’s fins moved.  Sunny wandered closer, settling herself behind her trainer.  She carried some pieces of Poké-chow in her vines, munching while she watched.

The horsea soon finished the bread crumbs in the water and was rooting around for more.  Marco got an idea and gestured to Sunny to come closer.  She seemed to understand what he wanted and stretched out one of her vines to hold a pellet out to the water Pokémon.

Jean’s eyes widened as he caught on.  “You’re going to bribe it with food?”

Marco smirked back at him, “Well that is how I caught you, isn’t it?”

“Shut up!”

Jean’s hiss startled the Pokémon and it stared up at the boys timidly, ready to bolt at any sudden movement.  With slow but confident movements, Marco reached out and held another pellet as a peace offering.

“It’s okay,” he crooned, “we’re not going to hurt you.”  With his free hand he signaled for Jean to move back a little to give himself more space.

About ten minutes later, Marco was sitting in the grass, cradling the horsea in his arms and whispering to it sweetly.  Sunny offered the newcomer another bite and it took it gingerly from her.

“What the heck?” Jean blurted, awestruck at the scene before him.  “It adores you already!”

Marco simply laughed in response, holding the Pokémon to him closer.  “I’ve helped my mom work with Pokémon at the academy, so introductions like this are pretty easy for me.”  The corners of his mouth lifted higher as he snuck a peek at Jean’s shocked face.  “Besides, didn’t you get attached to me pretty quickly, too?”

Jean’s cheeks burned and his eyes widened even further to the point that they almost bugged out of his head.  He quickly averted his gaze and harrumphed, “Actually you’re the one who makes instantaneous connections with everything.”

“Well, you got me there,” Marco laughed.  He offered a Pokéball to the horsea, which hummed and tapped on it with its nose.  With a flash of light, the horsea disappeared into the ball and Marco gently reattached it to his belt.

Jean plopped down, attracting the attention of Eevee and Weedle, who crawled into his lap.  Eevee cuddled into his chest and Weedle settled itself to nibbling on the edge of his pants leg.

“So the great and amazing Freckles caught himself a Pokémon.  Nice one.”  Jean pet his Pokémon distractedly, still in awe of the scene he witnessed. 

Marco laughed, pulling another ball off his belt.  “While you were zoning out and dying of hunger earlier, I caught another one.  We can share the wealth.”  He gently tossed it to Jean, adding, “It reminds me of you actually.”  Jean sloppily caught it, shifting under his Pokémon and knocking them onto the soft grass between his legs.

He tried not to betray his excitement as he leaned forward to release the mystery Pokémon, wondering when Marco could have possibly caught something while he wasn’t looking.

“Marco.”

“Yeah,” a cheeky smile spread across his freckled cheeks.

“Did you just give me a magicarp?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a little bit sloppier than usual.
> 
> Next chapter, they meet a few more fellow travelers. Any guesses who will be next?
> 
> As always, I'm on tumblr (dat-heichou.tumblr.com).


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys meet a new group of travelers. Whether they should be trusted is up to debate.

For the next few days, the boys traveled North toward Ragako, stopping at smaller towns along the way.  They sharpened their battling skills, Jean throwing challenges to the trainers they came across, Marco taking up other trainers on their requests.  They caught a few more Pokémon and strengthened up the ones they already had.

It was a pleasant journey and the two wondered how different their travels would have been if their paths had not crossed.  They were only about two days away from their objective when their travel was disrupted.

It was one of the rare mornings that Jean was the first to awake.  He rolled over in his sleeping bag and peered at his companion’s peaceful face, wondering if he should scrounge up breakfast.  Marco buried his head deeper into his sleeping bag so that only the top of his hairline was visible and let out a deep sigh.

Jean stretched and sat up, taking this as a sign to get their preparations together.  They had saved some rice balls that Marco had made at their last town visit and Jean unwrapped one to eat.  He sat back down to watch the rarely seen wake-up process of Marco Bodt.  At the sounds of Jean moving around him, Marco shifted and let out a muffled groan.

“Rice ball?” Jean asked, holding out an extra to the human cocoon.  Another moan answered him as a hand found its way out of the blankets, feeling around blindly for the offering.  Jean bit his lip in an attempt not to laugh as the freckled hand happened upon the food he was holding and retreated back to its fluffy hiding place.  It wasn’t until after Jean had finished his own breakfast that Marco resurfaced among his blanket, blinking bleary brown eyes up at him.

“Morning sleepy head,” the amber eyed boy smiled, reaching out to ruffle Marco’s bedhead.  The other boy yawned in response, too tired to care that his short black hair now stood up in every direction.  He slowly rubbed at the rice grains stuck on his face, fighting back another yawn and seriously considering his chances of falling back asleep.

He might have, if not for the yelling that came from around the bend.  The two boys froze and stared at each other, silently asking if it was real when the noises started up again.  Jean grabbed for their belts while Marco threw off his covers and shoved his bare feet into his shoes.  With that, the two hurried off to find the source of the voices.

 

* * *

 

“If we use Onyx to climb up, we’ll be able to reach it.”

“But… but it’s already pissed!  I mean, look at what it did to your hand!  Why don’t we let this one be?”

“I’ll go up there, if you two are too scared.”

Jean and Marco ran up to see three figures standing beneath a tree, staring up at an obscured shape in its branches.

“Is everything okay?” Marco asked, drawing the attention of the three in front of them as he approached.

The shortest, a blonde girl with icy blue eyes, was the first to address him.  “One of our Pokémon just got loose.”  She brushed back a stray lock of hair as she coldly looked them up and down.  “It’s nothing you need to concern yourselves with.”

“We heard yelling,” Jean added, skeptically eyeing the branches above them.

The girl shot him a harsh look but before she could tell them to go away, one of the boys beside her spoke up.  “But Annie… they might be able to help us?”  Despite being almost twice the girl’s size, he practically hid behind his hands as he hesitantly looked into her eyes.  He jumped as a hand forcefully clapped him on the back.

“I agree with Bertl.  If they can help us, we should let them,” the large blond beside them boomed.  He wasn’t nearly as tall as the boy beside him, but he had a presence all his own.  The girl simply glared up at her companions with an expression of mild irritation.  Given the shy, uneasy expression on the tallest stranger’s face, it didn’t take a genius to tell that the smallest member of their traveling party was the one in charge.  Even the beefcake blond’s bright grin seemed to wither under her intense gaze.

She glanced back at Marco and Jean, who couldn’t help but flinch at her icy blue stare.  Before Jean could muster up a return glare, she looked away and sighed.

“Well if you want to help, go ahead.  Though there’s not much that little boys could do about it.”

Sweat gleamed on the tall boy’s dark complexion and he quickly eyed Marco and Jean warily.  “Annie..” he warned.

Annie, as the cold girl seemed to be named, fixed a glare on him once again, making him sweat even more.

Jean wavered between wanting to tell her off for being rude and feeling bad for the oppressed boys traveling with her.  They couldn’t be much older than him and Marco.  To call the two of them children was a bit much, especially after they had offered to help.

Marco, however, seemed considerably less put off by her rudeness.  He had quickly learned that some people were simply more wary of strangers than others and guessed that this was her way of expressing it.  So he simply walked closer to the trunk of the tree, getting a better view of the feline face hiding in the branches.

“Be careful,” the fairer of the boys warned, “It’s a bit angry.”  Jean’s eyes widened a bit when he registered the bloody red scratches on the back of the stranger’s hand.

“Give me a leg up, Jean.  I think I can climb up to it,” Marco requested, as though it wasn’t one of his worst ideas.  Jean was sure it was.

“You are not going up there,” Jean tried to hiss, but Marco’s earnest expression made him falter.  He tried not to think of how hard it was to say no to his friend’s big brown eyes.

With a grunt and grumble, Jean finally helped him climb up the tree.  Silently he cursed that if Freckles got hurt, it would be the strangers to blame.

When he glanced back at them, he saw his own anxiety multiplied on the tallest of the group, which didn’t surprise him very much.  He’d only known him for less than ten minutes and Jean wondered if the dark stranger lived in a constant state of anxiety.  What did surprise Jean was the hint of emotion of the female’s face.  Her eyebrows raised slightly and if the other blond’s expression was any hint toward her emotion, she was impressed that Marco had the guts to climb the tree in the first place.

Only silence came from the branches above them and Jean’s nervousness was beginning to rival that of the sweaty stranger’s.  “We should check on him,” he offered, his mouth feeling strangely dry.

The tall boy nodded and with a flash, he released his onyx.  Jean had never seen one in person before and its sheer enormity awed him.  It was like staring up at a living rockslide, its rough body twisting and extending as it liked.  It was easily the largest thing in the clearing, even making the tree beside it look small in comparison.

Before Jean could even convince himself to move, too afraid of angering the giant rock snake, the dark boy walked up to it and gently placed a hand on the boulder segment closest to him.

Jean’s eye’s widened in shock at the sight of the timid boy calmly commanding the titanic creature.  The onyx slowly lowered its head to look at its master, its face alone a boulder with a diameter longer than the boy’s wiry height.

Jean quickly eyed the reaction of the two blondes behind him, but they simply looked on as though the scene was a daily occurrence.  Which it probably was, if Jean had to think about it.

But the stocky blond’s expression changed as he caught Jean’s shocked eyes on him.  Pride spread across his broad features as he addressed Jean, “Surprised us too, at first.  Onyx is just a big ol’ softy, just like his trainer.”  As Jean brought his gaze back to the tall duo in front of him, he quietly wondered if their shared features simply stopped at “softness” or if the previously unintimidating boy packed a few nightmarish features of his own.

Before he could dwell on those thoughts, the blonds had steered him closer to the giant Pokémon, gently ushering him to a perch near theirs on the beast’s head.  Jean held on for dear life, feeling more sickened by the sensation of movement than ever before in his life.  He had never previously had a problem with heights, but he had also never ridden an onyx before either.

He screwed his eyes shut as the creature was maneuvered to poke its head among the branches.  He didn’t open his eyes until he heard Marco’s soft exclamation of surprise.

If Marco was surprised to see four faces peering at him from a much larger stone face, then the others were equally surprised to find him sitting on a branch with the persian curled up in his lap.

The three strangers certainly didn’t know what to say.  Marco held out his hand and Annie passed him a Pokéball, where he promptly returned the persian after giving its head a comforting pat.

“Wow,” the blond boy breathed as Marco passed the ball back to its owner’s hands.  The boys helped Marco find a hold on the mountain of living rock before it gently returned its cargo to the ground.

It wasn’t until Jean had both feet safely secured in the grass that he added, “That’s what its like traveling with Freckled Jesus.”

 

* * *

 

After Marco’s help, the three strangers were more hospitable.  Even Annie was visibly impressed and seemed to have some sort of respect for him now.

Reiner and Bertholdt, as Annie’s companions introduced themselves, insisted that they do something to repay them.  Jean’s stomach growled, as it usually did at opportune moments.  He flushed but Reiner, the muscular blond, simply smiled.

“You should join us for lunch then,” he laughed, wrapping his arm around Bertholdt’s shoulders, pulling the taller boy down slightly to meet him.  “My boyfriend here is a great cook.”

“Best friend,” the taller boy corrected.  His sweat was glistening on the arm wrapped around him, but Reiner didn’t seem to mind.

 “Same thing.”

 

* * *

 

As promised, Bertl’s meal was delicious.  His dark cheeks glowed a rosy red when complemented for it, but didn’t stop a shy smile from gracing his features.  Jean and Marco got to know their hosts while they ate.  They found out that the three were 13 and had been traveling together for a few years.  The trio didn’t say more but it was evident that they had a longer history together before their travels too.

Reiner and Bertholdt took to the newer boys rather quickly.  Reiner took the lead in the conversation and Bertl added to his statements with nods and shakes of his head.  Words were few at the beginning but as time went on, the gangly teen was more likely to speak.  Marco responded eagerly to the older boys’ questions, telling them about some of the places they had been and where they were heading next.  Jean leaned back, listening to the conversation and letting his food digest.

As a whole, Annie didn’t talk much.  But that became less intimidating as the night went on.  Even though her face didn’t emote much, it wasn’t too difficult to tell that she had mellowed to their presence.  Her posture loosened and her eyes lazily followed the current speaker in the conversation.

As Reiner’s conversation topics exhausted themselves, the five eased into silence.  Surprisingly, it was Annie’s smooth voice that was heard next.

“So, Marco, how did you manage to get Persian so calm?”  Her eyes locked onto his, something a little more than curiosity hidden deep within their icy depths.

“Oh,” Marco blushed, unused to being the focus of her attention.  He scratched his nose in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.  “My mom works at a Pokémon Academy and I’ve helped out a couple of times.  We do Pokémon-trainer bonding exercises sometimes and I guess I picked up a lot.”

“That’s a good skill to have,” she mulled over, glancing toward Reiner and Bertholdt.  Sweat started to bead upon Bertl’s skin again and he turned his attention to wringing his hands in his lap.  Seeing this didn’t concern Jean until he noticed the way Reiner’s jaw seemed to clench.  Something seemed a bit strange.

Annie simply started cleaning up after their meal as though nothing strange had happened, with Bertl and Marco jumping up to help her.

Jean looked at Reiner, wondering why Annie’s gaze had made both of her friends so uneasy.  After a minute, he felt he had come up with a suitable answer to his own question.

“She shouldn’t get mad at you guys for not having Marco’s skill at Pokémon bonding.  He’s like an exception.”

With that, Reiner’s boisterous laugh returned, evaporating the leftover uneasiness in the atmosphere.  “Annie just has high expectations of us, that’s all.”

 

* * *

 

 

They decided that since they were all heading toward Ragako, they would travel together.  That way, Marco would be available to help with Persian. 

Marco couldn’t stop grinning at this decision.  He thrived in social situations and loved making new friends.  Part of his initial desire to see the world was to meet the people that lived in it.  Quite frankly, Jean couldn’t care less about meeting new people, but Marco was happy and they seemed nice so he went along with it.  Something about them made him a little uneasy, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.  They had a bit of a secretive vibe about them.

Jean brought up his concerns to Marco only once.  Marco simply smiled and told him to try to trust people.  After all, the history between Eren, Mikasa, and Armin gave them a similar vibe and they were good people.

Jean tried to find some comfort in Marco’s words.  One of Marco’s best qualities was his optimism, which Jean certainly lacked.  All Jean could do was try to keep his concerns at bay and hope Marco was right.  It’s not like he had made a bad call before, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I unintentionally skipped a week of updates. Sorry about that.
> 
> With the semester starting back up and the onset of writers block, updates are probably going to be less frequent for a while.
> 
> (As always you can find me on tumblr at dat-heichou.tumblr.com)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco was wrong for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this chapter around a year ago and lost the notebook it was written in. To anyone reading this fic, I am sincerely sorry for just disappearing for so long.
> 
> Honestly I forgot how much fun this au is, so I may add updates occasionally (nothing regular though). Feel free to talk to me about it, if you want to know more (and maybe spur me to write more quickly).

Out of all the Pokéballs on their belts, the only ones they mentioned were Onyx and Persian.  It was obvious that they had many more, but their lips were sealed on the subject.  It seemed as though the three strangers were as wary of them as Jean was toward the newcomers.

Annie was quiet as she led the way.  She never seemed to waver from the path that was invisible to all but her.  It seemed like the journey was longer than originally guessed.  But with good company, it was a pleasant trip.  Reiner’s boisterousness had even lulled Jean into a sense of security.

The sun was beginning to go down when Marco remembered that according to the map this morning, they were only about a day’s walk away from Ragako.  Now, night was falling and there was no sign of the village.

Unease prickled at his stomach, but Marco felt compelled to keep his concerns to himself.  Jean had just gotten comfortable and was finally opening up to the new boys, laughing at the burly blonde’s jokes.  It would be a shame to put him back on edge because of a simple misreading of the map.

Besides, he was in no rush to confront Annie about her navigation skills.

She suddenly turned back to look at the boys behind her and for an instant Marco was concerned that she had heard his thoughts.

“We should stop here for the night,” she stated, her sharp face giving away no hint of surprise about the fact that they had yet to arrive in town yet.  Reiner seemed equally unfazed about it, but Bertholdt looked uneasy, though it was possible that just being in the woods at night made him anxious.

Jean’s face caved in a bit as realization struck him.  He turned to look at their surroundings but only darkness greeted him.

 

* * *

 

Their dinner was just as delicious as the first meal that Bertl had made for them.  The only problem was that Jean and Marco were both a little too tense to fully enjoy it.

Their daytime travels led the boys to trust the older teens, but something felt wrong once the sun went down and there was absolutely no city in sight.

Marco lightly questioned them about it, wondering if they were close enough to be there by the next midday.

“Of course we will be,” Reiner laughed, the sound seeming to rustle the tree leaves above.  Jean couldn’t help but think that the blonde’s smile looked a bit stiff when he said so.  At the same time, it did not surprise him _if_ the older kids had gotten them lost.  Surely even if Annie had the worst sense of direction in the world, no one would question her on it.

With silent promises to offer to help Annie with her navigation, Jean and Marco both climbed into their sleeping bags, preparing for another day of travel with their newfound companions.

 

* * *

 

Marco awoke to find a large snout in his face.  A hot puff of air collided with his nose, making him scrunch up his features and cough.  A tepig was still curiously investigating his face, fascinated by even the slightest movement of his features.

A blurry shape moved behind the Pokémon and suddenly there was a bright smiling face appearing above it in his vision.  Marco screamed and jerked back, his head colliding with the solid forest floor underneath his sleeping bag.

“Whuh.. wh’se there,” Jean blearily raised his head, his eyes squinted shut like a newborn Pokémon.  “M’rco?”  He cautiously opened one eye and quickly shut it again, cursing the bright morning light.

“Not a morning person, eh?” a new voice asked.

At the presence of a new person, Jean’s eyes quickly reopened, twice as wide in his surprise.

A boy sat at the edge of Jean’s sleeping bag, his large eyes gleaming owlishly.  A girl with a ponytail crouched over Marco, peering at him over her Pokémon and asking if his head was alright.

Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt were nowhere to be seen.

“Who’re you?”  Jean asked, eyeing them cautiously and pulling his sleeping bag up closer to his chest as though feeling exposed.

“Connie,” the boy smiled brightly, flashing his teeth.  “An that’s Sasha,” he gestured at the girl who was currently curiously feeling for bumps on the back of Marco’s head.

“Traveling out here alone is a little unsafe,” the girl cautioned, “especially without any provisions.”

Jean opened his mouth to complain that they weren’t that stupid and that Marco’s head didn’t need to be massaged by strange girls.  Sudden realization stopped him cold.

“Marco, our bags are gone.”

At this, Marco’s eyes widened and he quickly scanned the area where their campsite previously stood.  Jean was right.  There was no trace of either of their packs or that other trainers had ever been with them. 

“What… no they couldn’t have…” Marco’s skin paled as his mind whirred.

Jean’s lips clenched into a determined line as he voiced the words Marco was too afraid to voice out loud.  “They took everything.  Even our Pokémon.”

**Author's Note:**

> The chapter length will most likely be steadily increasing and this is by far the shortest one.
> 
> I'm going to try to make Friday's uploading day, so hopefully you'll tune in to next chapter. (Jean gets introduced next chapter and he makes quite a first impression.)
> 
> Please let me know what you think of this chapter. :)
> 
> (Also if someone could tell me how to put links in the chapter notes, that would be great.)


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